B Mehrabi; M Ghasemi Siani; E Tale Fazel
Abstract
The Torud-Chah Shirin volcanic-intrusive arc, in the south of Kavir-e-Chah Jam depression (SW of Damghan), hosted many Pb, Zn, Cu, Ag and Au occurrences and deposits. Cheshmeh Hafez (Pb-Zn±Cu±Ag±Au) and Challu (Cu-Au±Ag) polymetallic vein-type ore deposits are the major one ...
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The Torud-Chah Shirin volcanic-intrusive arc, in the south of Kavir-e-Chah Jam depression (SW of Damghan), hosted many Pb, Zn, Cu, Ag and Au occurrences and deposits. Cheshmeh Hafez (Pb-Zn±Cu±Ag±Au) and Challu (Cu-Au±Ag) polymetallic vein-type ore deposits are the major one located in the central part. The Tertiary calc-alkaline volcanism and related mineralization occurred along the main Anjillo fault in the north and the Torud fault in the south with NW-SE trend. The exposed rocks in the Torud-Chah Shirin consist of volcaniclastic sequence composed of siltstone, thin bedded sandstone, lapilli tuff and volcano breccias and mostly andesitic and andesitic-basalt flows. Main host rocks at Cheshmeh Hafez are andesite and andesitic-basalt, while in Challu are trachy-andesite and basaltic trachyandesite, hosted polymetal hydrothermal mineralization in the area. Mineralization in the Cheshmeh Hafez occurred in three main stage includes stage 1) vein and disseminated pyrite and chalcopyrite hosted in quartz with homogenization temperature of 188 to 238°C and salinity of 6 to 14 wt.% NaCl equiv, stage 2) main sulfide mineralization with vein, disseminated and brecciate texture hosted in quartz with homogenization temperature of 243 to 276°C and salinity of 11 to 18 wt.% NaCl equiv and stage 3) replacement mineralization and vein-type (quartz and barren calcite) with homogenization temperature of 148 to 185°C and salinity of 4 to 11 wt.% NaCl equiv. Mineralization in the Challu district with low expanse and simple mineralogy occurred at two stage composed of stage 1) vein and veinlet pre-mineralization stage includes specularite, magnetite, chalcopyrite and pyrite (I) hosted in quartz with homogenization temperature of 332 to 356°C and salinity of 7 to 11 wt.% NaCl equiv and stage 2) brecciate and stock-work post-mineralization stage includes pyrite (II), bornite, tetrahedrite, vein-type calcite and chlorite with homogenization temperature of 290 to 322°C and salinity of 3 to 7 wt.% NaCl equiv. According to the recent studies, it can be inferred that with distance increasing from Challu district to Chesmeh Hafez mining area, homogenization temperatures (Th), salinity and depth of mineralization decreases gradually and mineralization at Challu and Cheshmeh Hafez districts have characteristics of an individual mineralization system that caused by mixing of hydrothermal fluid with meteoric water.
E. Haghighi; S. Alirezaei; E. Ashrafpour
Abstract
The Cheshmeh Hafez deposit in Torud-Chahshirin Range, north-central Iran, consists of a polymetal vein mineralization in Cenozoic volcanic host rocks of dominantly basaltic andesite and dacite compositions. The main ore vein, 1800 m long and <1 – 5 m wide, occurs discontinuously in a north-south ...
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The Cheshmeh Hafez deposit in Torud-Chahshirin Range, north-central Iran, consists of a polymetal vein mineralization in Cenozoic volcanic host rocks of dominantly basaltic andesite and dacite compositions. The main ore vein, 1800 m long and <1 – 5 m wide, occurs discontinuously in a north-south direction, and includes chalcedony, fine- to coarse-grained quartz, and jasperoid, associated with galena and subordinate chalcopyrite, sphalerite, bornite, pyrite, tetrahedrite, specular hematite and siderite. Crustiform bands, consisting of grey chalcedony, jasperoid, milky quartz, and various ore minerals are common, and breccias and comb textures are locally developed, in the vein. Supergene processes led to the replacement of galena by cerussite, and of hypogene copper minerals (chalcopyrite and bornite) by covellite and malachite. The main ore vein is accompanied by several smaller quartz and calcite veins in NE-SW and E-W directions, respectively, where the calcite veins are barren. Alteration related to mineralization is restricted to thin halos bordering the vein, and consists of quartz, chlorite, calcite, kaolinite and sericite (illite). Fluid inclusions in quartz associated with ore minerals are studied. Most inclusions are two-phase, liquid-rich, at room temperatures; few are vapor-dominant, and few consist solely of liquid. Primary fluid inclusions display low to moderate homogenization temperatures (135-285) and salinities (1-13 wt% NaCl equivalents). The δ34S values for the ore fluids in equilibrium with the sulfide minerals fall in the range -1.6 to +4.1‰ and suggest a magmatic source for sulfur. The ore and gangue mineralogy, and the alteration assemblages, suggest that the ore fluids were reduced and near-neutral in nature. This, combined with the metal contents, Ag/Au ratio between 16 to 25, iron- poor sphalerite, the crustiform and colloform textures, and the Th and salinity values, imply that mineralization at Cheshmeh Hafez is of epithermal, intermediate- sulfidation, character. The alteration assemblage at Cheshmeh Hafez is indicative of a sub-type of intermediate- sulfidation epithermal deposits with a tendency towards low-sulfidation type
